The present invention relates to the field of e-commerce and, more particularly, to unifying virtual shopping and storefront shopping experiences.
Today's storefront shopping differs from shopping online in many respects even though often times both the storefront and the online store are operated by the same organization. Because of this difference, some customers prefer to shop at storefronts while others prefer online shopping. Storefront shoppers are often hesitant to utilize online stores due to the manner in which they are required to interact. Storefront shoppers are often able to quickly locate products in a retail store, but frequently have trouble finding products in an online store.
Additionally, this disconnect between storefronts and online stores means that collaborative shopping is hindered. For example, an online shopper interested in a product cannot give a friend shopping in the storefront useful information about locating the product in the storefront. Further, shoppers tend to have problems with interaction with online store search engines. For instance, a user may not be able to identify search terms associated with a product they are interested in purchasing. These shortcomings can add up to potential revenue loss and ultimately detract from a positive shopping experience.